Living Stones: Purpose Series

“LIVING STONES” (3) PURPOSE

ACTS 10:36 & ECCL. 1

We’re in week 3 of our 7 week series “Living Stones”

where we as a church have been given

the God-sized task, after nearly 100 years, (pic of Phase 1)

of building a new facility and a new campus

that will allow us to meet the needs

of the Oakdale community and beyond for the NEXT 100 years

and have now been challenged with determining

how we as individuals and families will support that vision

And what we’re trying to do during the Living Stones campaign

is give you the truths and principles, even tools

to help you make a decision that is pleasing to God

Then, on Dec 2, we’re all going to come together

for a combined worship service to share the results of our campaign

and celebrate all that God has done and will do for OBC!

Now, if you’re a guest or still pretty new to Oakdale,

there’s no pressure for you to participate in the LS campaign.

But . . . I think it’s important for you to know

that you represent THE reason we’re trying to honor God

through this Fund Raising and Building Campaign.

Now, strange as it may seem, I want to begin this morning

by asking you to think about your death.

Aren’t you glad you came to church this morning?

Now, I’m being serious. I don’t think we spend enough time

thinking about our death and the implication it has on,

for lack of a better way to say it, our life!

You see, as humans, death is an inevitable part of life

Unless God intervenes in human history during our lifetime,

each of us WILL experience death.

It’s inevitable, it’s unavoidable

and the mortality rate for humans is 100%!

For each of us, there WILL come a day when a preacher

will stand at the head of our grave and summarize our life

Now, occasionally, when someone dies, you’ll hear a preacher

talk about how that person lived “their dash”

It’s a reference to the tombstone (pic)

Most of the time, on a tomb stone,

there will be a date of birth, a date of death,

and a dash in between(pic)

And any good preacher will tell you,

it’s not the DATES but the DASH that should matter.

IOW, it’s everything that happens BETWEEN birth and death

that determines whether or not we lived a life of significance

A few weeks ago I told you the story

of a woman who suffered the misfortune of dying

at a time when the only person available at the local newspaper

to write her obituary was the sports director.

And so, because he could think of nothing

significant that had ever taken place in her life,

her obit read: “Saturday, we inter the bones of Miss Emily Jones,

Her life held no terrors.

She lived and old maid, she died an old maid,” . . .

anybody remember the rest? “no hits, no runs, no errors!”

Now, I think it’s safe to say that none of us

want that kind of obit written about our lives when we die. Right?

There is something in human nature

that longs for significance, isn’t there?

So let me ask you a question:

If you could choose an epitaph to be engraved on your tombstone,

what would you want it to say?

What is the ULTIMATE epitaph for a human’s life?

He was a good person?

She did the best with what she had?

What would it say? Take a moment

and try to answer that question for yourself

Now, I want to suggest to you today

that the ultimate epitaph for a human’s life

was actually written thousands of years ago

for a guy named King David

You remember David?

The boy who slew a giant and became a king?

Had some incredible victories,

made some horrible, horrible mistakes,

but ultimately led God’s nation as a man after God’s own heart.

And here is how the NT sums up

the significance of King David’s life: This is from Acts 13:36

“And David served God’s purpose in his generation.” Acts 13:36

Now, would you agree with me that, as a Christian,

there is no greater significance than that?

To have served God’s purpose in your generation?

To have served GOD. To have accomplished His purpose

and to have done it during your time on earth . . .

THAT is the ultimate epitaph for any Christian

Does everyone agree? Good!

And what I want to show you today

is that you are absolutely RIGHT

but for the absolute WRONG reason!

And here’s why:

Because it’s NOT the DASH that TRULY matters in a person’s life,

but what happens AFTER the dash!

And let me show you what I mean, using David as an example